Chasing The Rabbit
by Smexi-MnM's
Summary: To fight monsters, we created monsters. And to create those monsters, we needed more than just Jaeger pilots. Sophia Kyle is one of these people, a strategist specialising in Jaeger battle moves. Jazmine Becket is Raleigh's fiery younger sister, now a Jaeger mechanic. What happens when the affections of two Jaeger pilots are thrown into the mix? Raleigh/OC; Chuck/OC
1. Shatterdome

**Chapter One: Shatterdome**

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**A/N: Hey everyone! So this is going to be Chuck/OC and Raleigh/OC. You may have noticed that we've changed Ember's name to Jazmine - that's because Raleigh and Yancy DO have a younger sister in canon. So basically, she's the same character, just with a different name.**

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Jazmine Becket gasped her way into consciousness, the cotton sheets tangled in her hands and around her waist. Another nightmare…great. They were getting more frequent now, but she had a pretty solid idea as to why. Marshall Stacker Pentecost was bringing Raleigh in. Taking a deep breath, Jazmine pushed herself to her feet and dropped onto her back on the cold floor. Twenty sit-ups, that should do it.

_1…2…3…4_

Jazmine knew that she was not meant for the Drift, but that didn't stop her from trying. Both of her older brothers had been Jaeger pilots, and it was more that than anything else that gave her a fierce desire to become one. She wasn't compatible, Pentecost had made that absolutely clear. From the beginning, Jazmine had been volatile and fiery. She had been seventeen when her oldest brother Yancy died, and it had impacted heavily on their entire family.

_5…6…7…8_

There had been no word from Raleigh. Pentecost assured them he was still alive, but he'd just…vanished. So Jazmine had nursed a grudge against her only surviving brother. The darkness in her heart, the anger she struggled to contain, was unacceptable for a Jaeger pilot. She would be taking too much into the Drift.

_9…10…11…12…_

She'd been doing mechanical work in high school, and once she dropped out after Yancy's death, she focused her attentions on doing some fix-up work for some illegal drag racers. Yeah, so she got involved with bad people. But her parents were too worked up about the son they lost and the son that never came home, so they didn't really have time to watch what she was up to.

_13…14…15…16…_

Jazmine had been nineteen when Pentecost picked her up, three years ago. He'd offered her a proper job, in honour of Yancy's services to the PPDC. Jazmine fell in love. The Jaegers were the most amazing machines she'd ever seen, and once she had learned all about their structure, she was good to go.

_17…18…19…20._

Jazmine sighed heavily and pushed herself up, raking her brown hair out of her blue eyes. How was she meant to feel about her brother coming back? She'd given up on Raleigh…or had he given up on her? Either way, there was a five-year lack of contact, and Jazmine wasn't sure that anything could make up for it.

Flopping onto her bed, Jazmine crawled between the sheets and snuggled against her pillow. Tomorrow, everything was going to change. The Russians had arrived three days ago, the Chinese a week before that. The Australians were set to arrive in the morning…along with Raleigh. Jazmine tossed onto her side, not knowing whether to love or hate her older brother.

* * *

Raleigh Becket looked around the place as the helicopter landed on the helipad. The whole place was foreign to him and he was unsure of how he would feel settling back into the program. As he got out of the helicopter a young Asian girl greeted him by the name of Mako, who was meant to be leading him around the place and introducing him to everyone.

"The Marshall says there are only four Jaegers left here." Raleigh commented, as he was lead into the Shatterdome.

Mako nodded her head, confirming his comment to be true. "That's right."

Chuck Hansen looked around the place feeling rather bored. It was so different to Australia in so many different ways. He looked at his father who was petting their bulldog affectionately. He reached over and scratched the dog on the top of the head,

"Marshall said the American pilot is coming in today. Raleigh Becket. You'd have heard of him." Herc glanced at his son, wondering how he could always look so bored.

Chuck shrugged. He didn't see how this Raleigh Becket guy was so important though. "Yeah, I have."

"Hey, that Aussie guy is kinda cute," Jazmine commented, nudging Sophia Kyle, who was busy working through some Jaeger tactics. As the strategy specialist, Sophia spent more time working than doing anything else. Jazmine's gaze was focused on Chuck Hansen, who looked to be in his late twenties.

"Hm?" Sophia looked up from her paperwork, but Jazmine knew her friend and comrade wasn't interested in checking out any hot potentials. That was more Jazmine's field. However, the grin faded from Jazmine's face when she saw _him_. It had been five years, but Raleigh Becket hadn't changed one bit. She stalked over to her brother, hands clenching and unclenching.

"Jaz?" Raleigh sounded astonished at seeing his younger sister working in the Shatterdome. After Yancy's death, he never would have imagined that Jazmine would get involved in the Jaeger program. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Jazmine cut him off with a sharp slap to the face. "You are an asshole!"

"You two know each other?" Mako said in surprise, watching as Raleigh rubbed his cheek ruefully. She was more than familiar with Jazmine's aggressive tendencies – they were the same age, but Mako had ten years on her in terms of maturity.

"Uh, yeah." Raleigh indicated his younger sister. "This is my sister, Jazmine."

"Who you haven't talked to in five years!" Jazmine shot at him furiously. Did Raleigh seriously just think he could act like nothing had happened between them? Sophia trailed over a little uncertainly.

"Jaz, I'm sorry, alright?" Raleigh sighed heavily, as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. "There was a lot going on."

"Yeah, like Yancy being dead and you not even bothering to call," Jazmine said accusingly. She folded her arms over her chest. Raleigh examined his sister carefully. She was twenty-two now, no longer the kid he remembered. She was still slender, but she'd filled out. This was no child, but a woman – and she was angry at him.

"Herc Hansen." The older Australian pilot had crossed over and offered Raleigh his hand. Raleigh noticed the small bulldog on a leash in Herc's other hand. "You must be Raleigh."

"You pilot the _Striker Eureka_, right?" Raleigh asked, although of course he knew the pilots of the Jaeger with the highest kill count ever.

"Along with my son, Chuck. Yeah."

"Hi," Chuck stated boredly from where he stood beside his father with his hands in his pockets. He looked disinterested, glancing around the Shatterdome as though there was somewhere better he could be.

"Jazmine Becket." She folded her arms over her chest, causing Raleigh to examine her warily as Sophia gnawed at her lip and scribbled things down on her paperwork.

"Are you two going to be a pilot duo?" Herc inquired, glancing between the Becket siblings. "Like you and Yancy were, back in the day?"

"No," Raleigh stated flatly before Jazmine could say anything. There was no way Jazmine would be able to cope with his memories of Yancy's death. "Hell no."

"The Marshall said I'm not fit for neural connection," Jazmine stated casually, popping some gum in her mouth. It affected her more than she let on, because she'd always wanted to be a Jaeger pilot, but she had to agree that she wasn't cut out for it.

"Hey, buddy." Raleigh glanced tersely at Chuck, who was openly checking Jazmine out. "Quit that."

"What?" Chuck threw him a contemptuous look. "Can't I admire a pretty lady?"

Sophia looked up at the two of them, brushing her red hair out of her green eyes as she shook her head. She sometimes wondered the maturity of some people, especially ones who were around her own age. She didn't have time to be disturbed over petty things such as who thought who was attractive. She had work to do. She always had so much work to do.

"Hear that, Sophia? You're being admired." Jazmine grinned at her older friend.

Sophia looked up from her work once again, completely lost. "What?"

"The Aussie boy's checking you out." Jazmine nudged her, her grin seeming to grow even larger.

"Still a troublemaker." Raleigh commented, remembering fondly that his sister had always been a troublemaker and it was no surprise to him that she was still that way.

"Oh. Right." Mako cut into the conversation, gesturing to Sophia who had gone back to looking at her work. "That's Sophia Kyle, our strategic specialist."

Herc nodded his head in acknowledgement as the red head looked up at them. "Sophia, nice to meet you."

"Hey." Raleigh greeted with a smile.

"Hello." Sophia smiled before looking back down at her notes, scribbling a few things down.

Jazmine shook her head. "Sophia's in love with her work. It's a one-sided relationship."

"No, my work does love me, just not at the moment. Considering we are significantly lacking in firepower, it makes every strategy we employ have a 25% success rate." Sophia rattled off, not sure if anyone was really comprehending what she was saying.

"_Striker Eureka_ is our only Mark 5, she has a lot of firepower." Herc smiled, knowing it would help the strategists more now that they had more firepower to combat the _kaiju_.

"I love your Jaeger." Jazmine piped up, her grin still plastered to her face.

Mako shook her head. "You love all of them, Jaz."

"I love _Striker Eureka_ best," Jazmine said enthusiastically, her blue eyes lighting up. "It's like a brand new toy. Can't wait to get my hands on _that_ one."

"You make it sound so…dirty," Raleigh stated, wondering if his sister even realised the sexual implications in what she was saying.

Herc noticed that his son was still eyeing off Jazmine, a slight smirk curving the corners of his lips. He nudged Chuck and shook his head, causing his son to scoff. Chuck was so used to being handed whatever he wanted, being allowed to do whatever he liked, that he didn't see the problem with it.

"What? Can't I look?"

"Cut it out," Herc ordered, noticing Raleigh's intense glare. Obviously, he'd seen the way Chuck was looking at his sister.

Chuck held up his hands in surrender. "Fine. Whatever."

Jazmine had been more than aware of Chuck's attention on her, and she offered him a wink, causing him to grin. It was more to piss Raleigh off than anything else, and it seemed to work, because he rolled his eyes and exhaled deeply.

"Great…"


	2. Fistfights

**Chapter Two: Fistfights**

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**A/N: So Ember's name has been changed to Jazmine, as in the official novel, that's what Yancy and Raleigh's sister is actually named. So same character, different name. Hopefully that's not too confusing! Please review and let us know what you think! **

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Sophia gnawed at her lip as she looked over what she had written on the whiteboard. Sure, she loved her job, but at times it was damn frustrating and annoying. She let out a long and heavy sigh before erasing everything she had written, deciding the start over. She raked her hair back, muttering to herself, unaware that Raleigh Becket was peering into her office.

"Hello?" Raleigh spoke softly, not wanting to startle the redhead who was intently scribbling across the whiteboard.

Sophia jumped slightly, spinning around to look at Raleigh, willing her heart rate to slow down. "Hey. Can I help you?"

"Oh. Sorry. I was just acquainting myself with the base." Raleigh apologized, leaning against the doorframe.

Sophia nodded, managing a small smile before glancing back at her work. "It's fine. I get a little caught up in work sometimes."

"So what do you do, exactly?" Raleigh asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm a strategist." Sophia told him and upon noticing his almost blank expression, decided to go into more detail. "Basically I work out the best way to kill these things. It used to be easier."

Raleigh nodded thoughtfully. "And now they're advancing."

"Which makes my job harder. Now that the _Striker Eureka_ is here, it's thrown out my previous calculations." Sophia muttered, more to herself then Raleigh as she wrote some more calculations on the white board.

"How so? Because it's advanced?" Raleigh raised an eyebrow, taking a step into the office so he could see what the young woman in front of him was doing.

Sophia nodded before pushing her hair out of her eyes, glancing at the paperwork on her desk and letting out a heavy sigh. "I need coffee..."

"You seem to work a lot." Raleigh observed, looking at the stacks of paperwork that were around the room.

"I didn't manage to get any sleep last night." Sophia explained. That was what it was like most nights. No sleep, just work, work and more work. "Want one?"

"Okay, sure." Raleigh smiled, watching as she went about making the coffee in an almost rehearsed and mechanical way, like she'd done it so many times before. Although, he had no doubt that she had often made large cups of coffee. He sipped the coffee as she handed it to him, welcoming the familiar taste. "Thanks. So how long you been working here?"

"Few years now." Sophia told him, sipping her own coffee. "Hours are shit and the work is hard, but I can't see myself doing anything else."

Raleigh raised an eyebrow "Why's that? You work for the love of it?"

"I like to believe that I'm helping, even if I'm not." Sophia shrugged, thinking it a rather stupid reason.

"You are. We all are, in a way. I'm here because I have to be." Raleigh sat down on one of the few chairs in the room.

"You make more of a difference then I ever could." Sophia pushed her red hair out of her green eyes, thinking of how much she needed to cut her hair.

Raleigh leant back in his chair. "Hardly. I'm just here to pilot an out of date Jaeger. And now my sister's here too, fantastic."

Sophia laughed at the sarcasm in his tone. "She's a good kid, you know."

"She's too much like me and Yancy, that's what worries me." He explained to her, not wanting his baby sister to get hurt in all of this.

"Why's that?" Sophia took another sip of her coffee, welcoming the caffeine into her system.

Raleigh shrugged; he hadn't really spoken about his family to anyone in a long time. "She's a fireball. And it's my fault she hates me."

"I doubt she hates you." Sophia knew the young mech fairly well and she hadn't ever spoken about her brother in a hateful way, she always spoke in more of a disappointed way.

Raleigh shook his head. He couldn't exactly have blamed Jazmine if she did hate him. "I haven't talked to her since she was seventeen."

Sophia raised an eyebrow. She wasn't sure why Raleigh automatically assumed Jazmine hated him, they hadn't even been around each other for more then twenty-four hours yet. "So? You're her family."

"What's left of it." Raleigh murmured, glancing down at the cup in his hand.

"Exactly. She loves you, trust me. No matter what your family does, you can never bring yourself to hate them." Sophia pointed out, knowing that she loved her family despite all the issues she had faced with them.

"She used to look up to us." Raleigh whispered to himself, looking up at Sophia and noticing a sympathetic look in her eyes.

Sophia smiled slightly. "I would've given anything to have siblings."

"Sometimes I wished I could do without them. But I guess, after Yancy died...I just never wanted to see Jazmine involved in any of this." Raleigh hated that she _had _gotten involved. He left to protect her, not to see her get caught up in the same whirlwind that killed their other brother. He shrugged it off before sipping his coffee again. "In some ways, it's good to be back."

Sophia gave him a questioning glance. "Oh?"

"I missed Gipsy. I missed the feel of this, in some ways." Raleigh explained, finishing his coffee.

Sophia nodded thoughtfully, "Well, if you ever need anything, let me know."

Raleigh smiled, happy to be getting along with at least someone in the Shatterdome. "Thanks. That's nice of you."

"I try to be nice at least once a day." Sophia joked, finishing her own coffee and putting the mug in the little sink beside the coffee maker.

Raleigh grinned at her. "Just once a day?"

"Just once, people piss me off too much." Sophia took his mug off him, putting it in the sink beside her own.

"Like my sister? Or other people?" Raleigh asked, curious as to who her should avoid.

Sophia shook her head. "Other strategists who seem to think firepower is everything."

"It's people more than firepower." Raleigh pointed and Sophia nodded in agreement. He had a fair point. Without people, the machines wouldn't function and there would be no firepower to battle against the kaiju. "Thanks for the coffee, by the way. Better than I expected."

"You're most welcome."

* * *

Jazmine had always loved the _Striker Eureka_, she surmised as she happily continued about fixing it up. It hadn't been too badly knocked around by the _kaiju_ that it had killed in Sydney, but the Marshall wanted it in top shape for his plans to bomb the breach. It was a good thing that Jazmine didn't have a problem with heights, because she was perched on a platform almost a hundred metres above the ground. Pulling off her safety goggles and putting down the welder, Jazmine turned to notice Chuck Hansen watching her from ground level.

"Hi down there." She leaned over the rail. "Your Jaeger is one hot machine."

"Thanks. So are you." Chuck offered her a smirk, and Jazmine had to refrain from rolling her eyes. That was his idea of a pick-up line? She pushed herself away from the rail, ditching the safety goggles.

"Oh, I'm not a machine."

"No, but you're hot," Chuck insisted. He'd had his pick of the girls in Sydney. He'd been with a few singers, couple of actress and maybe a supermodel or two. He knew a pretty girl when he saw one.

"Are you like this with all girls, or just mechs?" Jazmine was amused as she swung under the rail and started descending the stairs. It was a fair way down, but definitely a good workout for her legs.

"Only the pretty ones," Chuck replied. Jazmine was probably about the same age as him, and it would be fun to use her to piss Raleigh off. The two had already started off at loggerheads, and the relationship between them didn't seem to be improving.

"From way down there, you can't tell if I'm pretty, Aussie boy," Jazmine responded casually, jumping over the rail and landing on the ground in order to miss the last flight of stairs. "You and my brother don't seem to get along."

"Probably because he doesn't like me looking at you," Chuck stated, eyes raking over her figure. Long legs, pretty face, good body. She wasn't the most stunning girl he'd ever seen, but she was attractive enough.

"And why do you look at me?" Jazmine tossed back her hair. "Aren't there any girls in Australia?"

"No, there are." Chuck crossed his arms over his chest. There were plenty of girls in Australia, girls who obsessed over him and would give anything to even be with him for a night. Jazmine wasn't throwing herself at him…yet.

"How old are you, Chuck?" Jazmine inquired.

"Twenty-two," Chuck responded, which surprised Jazmine. So they were the same age. She had automatically assumed that he was older, probably because he looked more like twenty-five. His immaturity should have said everything, though.

"Don't see why a world-famous Jaeger pilot would be interested in a mech," Jazmine stated skeptically. She wasn't stupid, she'd known guys like Chuck in the past. Yeah, he was good-looking, but she wasn't going to throw herself at him or get all over him, even if it would be funny to see Raleigh's reaction.

"Because you're hot," Chuck insisted.

"Wanna know what I think?" Jazmine asked, planting her hands on her hips.

"Not really," Chuck drawled. Sure, the girl was hot, but he preferred it when they kept their mouths shut and didn't start trying to talk to him. He wasn't particularly interested in what she had to say.

"Exactly," she said triumphantly, "You're just interested in getting some before you head out to what might be your final fight."

"I'll survive it," Chuck retorted, irritated by Jazmine's doubt of his abilities. "I'm one of the best pilots out there, if not _the_ best. I'm sure I'll survive it."

"My brother Yancy was an amazing pilot," Jazmine stated. It still hurt to think about what had happened to Yancy. She didn't even know how he had died, because Raleigh never wanted to talk about it. But she knew that her brothers had piloted the _Gipsy Danger_ with brutal efficiency.

"Obviously not," Chuck stated casually, causing Jazmine's eyes to narrow dangerously.

"Let me get something perfectly clear, Hansen." Any playfulness in her tone dropped, and her blue eyes burned with rising anger. "If you put Yancy down in front of me, you're going to get your ass kicked. Got it? I don't care if you're some fancy little Jaeger pilot."

Chuck examined her closely and scoffed. "Like you could kick my ass."

"Oh, coz I'm a girl?" Jazmine snarled. She was beginning to dislike this arrogant Australian boy more with every breath he took. "Newsflash: I don't need a Jaeger to take you on."

"You're tiny." Chuck's gaze became contemptuous. "I doubt you'd do any damage."

"Careful, Hansen." Jazmine shoved him in the chest, hard. Chuck barely moved at the push, laughing. "Daddy isn't here to bail out your ass."

"I don't need him to bail it out," Chuck remarked, inspecting Jazmine critically. So yeah she was hot, but she was also becoming a real pain in the ass.

She folded her arms over her chest. "Good, coz I don't need Raleigh to save mine, if that's what you're thinking."

Chuck couldn't help but smirk. "You probably would."

Jazmine's temper flared and she punched him in the face. He'd insulted her brother and now he was insulting her. Chuck gripped her wrist and twisted, but Jazmine had more than enough experience fighting people bigger and stronger than her. She slammed her knees between his legs, causing Chuck to groan and toss her to the ground. Jazmine laughed as she looked up at him.

"Can't take it."

"No, I can," Chuck assured her, watching her carefully. "I'd just rather not damage your pretty face."

"You talk shit about Yancy again, and yours won't be," Jazmine hissed at him.

"Why? Because you know it's true?" Chuck was deliberately winding her up now. Raleigh Becket was a renowned Jaeger pilot, and he wanted to see whether his sister had the same spirit. "Your brother was a shit pilot, that's why he died."

Rage coursed through Jazmine's veins and she shoved herself to her feet, launching at Chuck and tackling him to the ground. She knew that others were starting to gather around and watch them. Soon enough, the Marshall would come out to break them out. As she punched Chuck repeatedly in the face, she found that she didn't care.

Chuck groaned in pain – dammit, she hit hard – and flipped them over so he was pinning her to the ground. She continued fighting him, head-butting him hard in the face. Chuck moved his head out of range, still holding her down as she struggled like some kind of wild animal. He didn't mind feisty, but this was bordering psycho.

"Get the fuck off me!" Jazmine snarled. "I'll kick your ass!"

Chuck smirked down at her. "You can't while you're under me, where you belong."

"Asshole." Jazmine spat in his face and Chuck grimaced, getting off her and wiping the saliva from his cheek. "Why do I belong under you, huh? You belong down a _kaiju_'s throat."

"Like your dear brother?" Chuck taunted her, clenching his hands into fists. He wasn't normally so spiteful, but Jazmine was really beginning to piss him off. She tackled him again, rolling him onto his stomach and pinning his arms behind his back.

"Wanna repeat that?"

"You heard me." Chuck rolled over, pinning her under his back with his weight. It was a dirty move, but Jazmine bit his arm and clawed at him, trying to push him off. How dare he talk about Yancy like that! How _dare_ he? She was infuriated with this stupid Australian brat who thought he knew everything just because he had the most kills.

Jazmine shoved Chuck off and he rolled to his feet, walking away from her without a backwards glance. Seething, Jazmine was tempted to go after him and go again until she beat him to a pulp – but she had to control her temper. Everyone always said she got herself into trouble where she could avoid it.

"_Jazmine Becket_!" Marshall Pentecost was stalking across the bay towards her, and Jazmine took a deep breath as she watched him approach. Boy, she was in for it now.


	3. Weight Of The World

**Chapter Three: Weight Of The World**

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**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone for the reviews, favourites and follows! You guys are totally amazing! Please let us know what you think of this chapter.**

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"This is the fifth time I've had to pick up the pieces after you fight with someone." Stacker Pentecost was pacing, and Jazmine had the grace to at least pretend to be apologetic about her actions. In truth, she was seething. Typical, she was the one to get into trouble with Chuck got off scot-free. She wouldn't normally have lashed out – but it was habit, one that sprung up when someone insulted Yancy or Raleigh.

"It won't happen again, sir," Jazmine promised. Most people didn't have the ability to pull her into line, but there was something about Stacker Pentecost that commanded respect. Part of that was also because he had been the one to offer her a job, to believe in her when no one else did. He had also done her a huge favour by not disclosing her humiliating reaction to the Drift. For that, Jazmine would be eternally grateful.

"I should hope it doesn't." Stacker turned to face Jazmine, gaze critical. "I know things are tense now that Raleigh is back here. But you cannot afford to allow personal problems to get in the way of your work. You are here to do a job, Miss Becket. I understand that Chuck Hansen is not the easiest person to get along with, but you would be wise to do what the rest of us do and _ignore him._"

Jazmine barely refrained from sighing. Chuck was not exactly an easy person to ignore. He seemed intent on getting a reaction – and when she thought about it that way, Jazmine realised she'd played right into his hands. If Chuck wanted attention, then she had practically given it to him.

"Understood, sir. Permission to be dismissed?"

Stacker looked weary, but he nodded. "Granted."

Jazmine felt deep relief course through her and she stepped out of Stacker's office. Chastising over. However, she didn't expect to see Raleigh walking down the corridor, probably to speak to Stacker himself. Both Becket siblings froze, and Jazmine folded her arms over her chest as she regarded her brother.

"Raleigh."

He had always been the middle brother, in truth. When the first _kaiju_ hit, Jazmine had been nine years old. Of course such frightening images from the television scared her. But it hadn't been fourteen-year-old Raleigh whose room she'd run into. No, it had been Yancy, seventeen and practically already grown up. She remembered bringing her nightlight with her, feeling stupid for being such a baby at nine. But Yancy had just grinned and pulled her in beside her, telling her stories about fighting _kaiju._ Yancy had been the protective older brother, the one who'd looked after her.

Now, he was dead.

"You don't sound happy to see me," Raleigh noted.

"Dad was worried sick," Jazmine stated, her tone accusatory. They'd lost their mother when she'd only been young, and Yancy's death and Raleigh's disappearance had all but broke their father. He had never been the same since, and Jazmine had to pin the blame on someone, anyone. It had to be Raleigh.

"I really am sorry, Jaz." Raleigh did sound apologetic, and it resonated in his blue eyes. "I didn't mean for you to feel so alone. I would have come back, but…I never really knew what to do after it happened, I guess."

Jazmine wanted to be angry at him. She had been angry for five years and she'd expected to hold onto it for a hell of a lot longer. But they had both lost Yancy, and seeing him now, she knew that she couldn't hold onto such a petty grudge. She stepped forward and flung her arms around her brother, and he held her close.

"I missed you," she mumbled into his shirt.

Raleigh couldn't help but smile. "Missed you too, Jazzy."

* * *

Jazmine heaped food onto her tray, more than happy to indulge in whatever meal the mess hall had to offer. She wasn't exactly the greatest cook, so she was happy to let someone who was paid do the job. Sophia was with her, talking animatedly about her work. Honestly, Jazmine thought the woman worked too much. She noticed Chuck and rolled her eyes, dishing up some mashed potato.

"He's such a jerk."

"Wouldn't surprise me," Sophia stated, glancing over at Chuck Hansen. She found him thoroughly disagreeable.

"He started mocking Yancy." Jazmine clutched her tray tighter at the very memory. "Can you believe that? He must be the world's biggest asshole."

"Did you hit him?" Sophia inquired, knowing that it wouldn't be unusual for Jazmine. Whenever her brothers were concerned, her fists were always ready.

"Several times," Jazmine replied with relish.

Raleigh picked at his food as he spoke to Herc. Part of him wanted to eat and the other part wanting to flatten Chuck, who happened to be strutting over to them as Raleigh was thinking this. Chuck sat down across from them, eating his own food. Raleigh began to eat a little faster, though he was still eating considerably slower then anyone else at the table.

Herc glanced at his son, watching as he moved to feed Max. "Don't feed that bulldog at the table, Chuck."

Chuck immediately pulled his hand back. "I'm not."

"I know, I'm saying don't." Herc told him, not in the mood for his son's attitude.

Sophia sighed, glancing around to see if there were any empty seats at any tables. "Let's go eat and talk, please."

"Good idea." Jaz agreed, heading for an empty table, glaring at Chuck as they passed where he was eating.

Chuck watched her before hitting her on the ass, a smirk forming on his face. Raleigh noticed, pushing himself to his feet, his anger beginning to boil over. Meanwhile, Sophia placed her food on the empty table, watching the brewing fight along with Jaz who was watching her brother.

Raleigh's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't do that to my sister."

"Or what?" Chuck raised an eyebrow.

"Trust me, you don't want to mess with me." Raleigh told him through clenched teeth.

"You don't scare me." Chuck got to his feet, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jaz sighed, glancing at Chuck. "Chuck, just shut up for once."

"You don't touch my sister. What about that is unclear?" Raleigh stepped closer towards Chuck.

Chuck shrugged. "Nothing, I just don't take orders from you."

"Chuck made some comments about Yancy earlier," Jazmine stated bluntly, watching as Raleigh folded his arms and glared in Chuck's direction.

"What kind of comments?"

Chuck shrugged. "I only spoke the truth."

"He said Yancy was a shit pilot," Jazmine commented, all too eager to get Chuck into trouble. He seemed to think that he could say and do what he wanted without consequences, but she knew that Raleigh wouldn't tolerate his crap.

"So you insult my brother, and now you're degrading my sister?" Raleigh asked disbelievingly. He had no doubt that Chuck was doing this to piss him off, because the two of them hadn't gotten along from the start.

"What of it?" Chuck jeered, causing Raleigh to land a punch to his jaw. Chuck staggered back momentarily, before he stepped forward and punched back. Sophia sighed heavily as Jazmine watched with a delighted grin spreading across her features. Raleigh grabbed Chuck by the front of the shirt and hauled him forward, causing the younger man to knee him in the stomach.

"My money's on Raleigh," Jazmine announced.

Sophia shook her head slowly. "My money's on one of them getting something broken…"

Raleigh punched Chuck again, twisting his arm up hard behind his back. Chuck slammed his head into Raleigh's face, but Herc Hansen had had enough. He pulled the two of them apart, his expression furious.

"That's enough!" he shouted, "Chuck, stop being so bloody aggravating. Becket, there's no need for violence here."

"They are going to have bruises tomorrow," Sophia noted ruefully as she and Jazmine sat down to eat their lunch.

"Chuck deserves it," Jazmine stated fiercely, but she wasn't sure she meant it. Chuck shoved past his father and stalked out of the mess hall, while Raleigh nursed a bloody nose. She didn't know why Raleigh and Chuck hated each other so much, but it seemed to her like Chuck went out of his way to piss Raleigh off.

* * *

Sophia checked over her notes as she strode down the hallway, her stress levels reaching breaking point. She felt someone's hands on her shoulders as she almost ran into them, looking up to come face-to-face with Raleigh. His hands were warm on her shoulders, causing her to step back out of his grasp.

"Oh. Sorry. I should look where I'm going." Sophia apologized, feeling rather flustered about the whole ordeal.

"No, no. It's fine." Raleigh assured her, grinning down at her. "You work too much."

Sophia shook her head. To her, she never seemed to be able to do enough work before she was given more. "No, I don't work enough."

"At least come check out _Gipsy Danger_." Raleigh crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're going to drag me there if I say no, aren't you?" Sophia sighed, raking her red curls out of her face.

"Maybe." Raleigh winked down at her playfully.

Sophia shook her head, unable to resist Raleigh's charm. "Alright. Lead the way."

Raleigh nodded before walking down towards the Jaeger bay. Sophia followed after him, dumping her paperwork in her office as they passed it, whilst also grabbing her jacket and tugging it on.

"So, you actually seen many of the Jaegers?" Raleigh asked, assuming that Sophia spent most of her time in her office.

Sophia shook her head. Her job wasn't to do with the Jaegers, she was just a strategist. "Not really."

Raleigh nodded, his assumption having been correct. "They're pretty cool."

"So I've heard." Sophia glanced around as she hadn't been to this part of the Shatterdome many times before. She was always too busy working in her office.

"That one's _Crimson Typhoon_." Raleigh pointed to the one Jaeger in the room with three arms, before pointing another Jaeger. "And _Cherno Alpha_ is that Russian one."

"Have you met the Russians? They're quite nice people." Sophia commented. It was her job to know the pilots, to know how they thought and how they operated together and under orders.

"They're...big. But they seem okay." Raleigh nodded as he'd only really met them in passing.

"How do you think I feel? I'm a short ass." Sophia pointed out, causing Raleigh to laugh. "It's true."

Raleigh shook his head as he stopped laughing, "You're only a bit smaller than Jaz."

"And a bit rounder too." Sophia glanced down at herself. She and Jaz were two very different body types.

Raleigh raised an eyebrow, looking her up and down. "Rounder?"

"Fatter then she is." Sophia put it into simpler terms.

Raleigh shook his head. He didn't understand the female gender at times, especially when it came to appearance and comparing themselves to others. "You aren't fat."

"But I'm not thin either." Sophia pointed out.

Raleigh shrugged, slinging an arm around her shoulders in a carefree notion. "You're curvy. It's good to have some meat on your bones." Raleigh stopped walking, glancing up at the _Gipsy Danger_. "Here she is."

Sophia glanced up at the _Gipsy_. She hadn't seen any Jaeger up this close before. "She's very big. When do you start fighting again?"

"Whenever the Marshall sends us out." Raleigh told her, glancing around the place. "Which is probably soon."

Sophia smiled, "Excited?"

"And nervous." Raleigh nodded.

* * *

Jazmine was doing some standard checks on _Cherno Alpha_ when she noticed Chuck sauntering around on the bay floor. She sighed heavily and shook her head. It looked like wherever she went, Chuck was there to cause trouble.

"Oh boy…"

Chuck offered her a grin, and she smiled sweetly and flipped him the bird. Arrogant ass. He really needed to learn some manners. She walked over to him, foregoing her checks on the Jaeger in order to chastise Chuck for his behaviour.

"You know, you really don't have to slap my ass to get my brother to hate you," she stated, folding her arms over her chest.

"It was a nice ass, I must say," Chuck smirked and she could tell that he wasn't taking this seriously at all.

"Are you always this irritating?" she demanded.

"Only on days ending in 'y'," Chuck replied, causing Jazmine to shake her head. She thought her biggest problem here at the Hong Kong Shatterdome, but it looked like Chuck was going to give her more issues.

"Has anyone told you that you're not funny?" she asked of him. "Or are the girls back home too busy trying to get into the great Chuck Hansen's pants?"

Chuck merely shrugged. "I was too busy saving people's asses."

Jazmine examined him critically. "Ah. So you got no action."

"No, I got a lot of it," Chuck informed her – and it was true. He was practically a hero in Australia, or anyone where. There had been nights spent between the sheets with models and daughters of important men. But he'd never experienced anything lasting, never had a relationship.

"Wow, what a stud," Jazmine drawled sarcastically. "I'm so impressed."

Chuck winked at her. "Why don't we find out if you would be?"

Jazmine's nose wrinkled in distaste. "You couldn't pay me enough to want to sleep with you. Isn't it shocking, that maybe a girl actually doesn't want to get in bed with you?"

"Pretty much," Chuck stated, regarding Jazmine closely. "A few here have propositioned me."

Jazmine rolled her eyes in disgust. Of course, it didn't really surprise her – some of the workers at the Shatterdome were total Jaeger groupies, and sleeping with one was practically a bragging right.

"That's actually really pathetic," Jazmine stated contemptuously, staring Chuck down. They were here to work, not count notches in their belt. Obviously, some people took their work more seriously than others. "So how many have you screwed since you've been here, stud?"

"I never kiss and tell," Chuck replied enigmatically. To be completely honest, he hadn't slept with anyone at the Shatterdome. But it was fun seeing Jazmine getting all riled up. No, he didn't dislike her as much as he did Raleigh, but he was so good at getting beneath people's skin.

"I don't think you realise that you don't sound like a player," Jazmine pointed out, "You just sound really desperate."

"Whatever, babe," Chuck remarked, smirking as he saw how much the false affectation annoyed Jazmine. She planted her hands on her hips and glowered at him.

"Don't 'babe' me."

"Why not, babe?" A smirk crossed Chuck's lips and Jazmine threw up her hands and stalked off. She really should ignore him and try not to let him elicit such a response, but it was hard when he was so damn annoying.


End file.
